The Old King
by elementalforceofdestruction
Summary: In the village of Liberty Gallows, stands a castle. However, the King hasn't been seen in decades. Somehow, the gifts to the King are still being taken. By who? By what? Steve, with the help of Herobrine, goes to investigate.
1. The Missing Minecart

The village bustled with the same amount of excitement today as it did with every day that came. Which is very little excitement at all. The tavern was nearly full, as usual, and the blacksmith across the road was quieter than creepers that haunted the forest surrounding the little town. The library was still gathering cobwebs and the market vendors were growing tired with the dying sun. I effortlessly pushed the mine cart through the main street, which had a long straight railway leading from the main station to the castle entrance.

My pet dogs howled behind me as the moon began to rise. Both of them, Lapis and Emerald had been with me since I found them three months ago. It was hard trying to take care of the pups but they were finally growing up and began to care for themselves. The mine cart stopped at the end of the line with a loud 'thunk' and I looked up at the stone brick stairs leading into the castle. Once a week I was to bring my most valuable ores to the castle gate and leave them there for the old King to take, sometimes I would wait for him to come down and thank me for my efforts. Seeing I was the only miner in all of Liberty Gallows. But he never showed. So I would go home and as usual, the mine cart and the goods inside were gone the next morning. For some time I used to think that the King had a servant bring them inside with the other valuables that the town left him. Such as wheat, pumpkin, pork and steak. But even after staying up late at night, into the early hours of the morning, I found out there was no such person. Then again, I would always doze off before sunrise and wake up to find the goods and treasures gone.

The moon glistened off the white tinted windows of the upper castle floors and as I glanced up at the beauty of it all, I saw movement. A curtain being drawn on the uppermost floor. My breath quickened for a moment before I felt a tap on my shoulder.

"Steve? Are you feeling well?"

I turned to find the head nun staring at me with concern. I nodded in reply and swallowed before answering.

"Yes… Yes I'm fine. Just a busy day that's all."

"Something is bothering you… What did you see?" she asked with a sense of wisdom. I swear that nothing could get past Mother Delia.

"I saw- I saw… the curtain it moved." I replied, pointing at the top window quickly. She looked at me with a puzzled look and chuckled lightly under her breath.

"Oh Steve. I told you, the old King is dead. He has been for many years. No one lives in that old pile of bricks." She turned around and headed to the church nearby, shaking her head to herself as the dawdled along and muttering, "Silly boy."

I rubbed my eyes and sighed, the dogs lying obediently on the tracks and resting against each other.

"C'mon. Let's go." I waved in the direction of the house and they immediately got up and left. I followed after them, only after taking one last look at the grand building.

After some minutes' walk, I saw the dogs clawing at the front of my door. With the moon now up and the sun gone, it had begun to get cold. So I hurried over and unlocked the door. The two raced inside and fought over the water in the cauldron. I put my inventory bag down on the couch and noticed a distinct warmth filling the air inside my house. Which is very strange considering I don't have a fire place and my house is made mostly out of cobble. Confused I walked over to the other two rooms, which were freezing so much, the windows had started to frost. At this time, one thought occurred to me. _Not again…_

Back in the main area, where it was definitely warmer I noticed a tiny piece of paper on the top of my furnace. I picked it up and unfolded it, almost predicting who it was from. It read:

_Let's play a game…_

"No." I answered bluntly out loud. The glow stone chandelier swung lightly and a thud sounded from underneath. In less than a few seconds my un-related identical twin appeared before me, and he was frowning.

"Why not?"

_Herobrine_. The being of myth who had been chasing me for some years now. In our conflict we've gone from cat and mouse to deadly pranks and finally, dangerous but entertaining games. When I first encountered him I barely got out alive and told the first person I saw. Of course they laughed and told me I was crazy. But I continued to run into him at the most inconvenient of times. Back in the present, Lapis and Emerald were running laps around him and he smiled down at them, whispering a small _"_Hello".

I cleared my throat and he looked back up at me with his hands in his pockets waiting for the answer.

"Because I've had a shit day and your shenanigans are just going to tire me out even more." That was it though, to put it kindly. His white eyes brightened for a moment before dimming again.

"That's it? Because you've had a shit day?"

I nodded with undying enthusiasm, staying by my claim.

"And you wonder why I hate you. You never have _any _fun." He was quiet for a moment as he looked around the room. "Any diamonds?" he asked curiously with his eyes on my inventory bag.

"No. I gave them up to the 'empty haunted castle'." I said with a chuckle and reached for the glass of water I left out this morning. He frowned again, but with more sarcasm and plodded over to the window. Even though there was light outside, most of the castle was shrouded in darkness which meant he could see the building clear as day.

"The cart's gone." He said bluntly, while warming his hands with his magic fire. That was when I realized that the temperature in the room had gone down considerably. But I waved it off as his anticipation for excitement dimming.

"What? Already?" I walked over and peeked out the window with him. Sure enough, the cart and everything inside had disappeared. "How in Notch's name…?" I hadn't been home for five minutes and the cart was already gone.

"Must have been desperate." He muttered. "Normally they're out till sunrise, or just before anyway."

"You've seen him take them in the castle? Is the king actually alive?" I begged for answers by tugging on the side of his t-shirt.

"Ow! Careful. I had a rather rough battle with a knight earlier, I'm still healing." He grabbed my hand threw it back at me. "No I haven't seen him take the goods inside. I hang around the forest but my eyes are off the carts most of the time. I just know that when I check, they're there but they are always gone just before sunrise."

"What about the King? You have seen him? Right? I mean, for someone immortal like you surely you have seen him once."

He was silent and watched the zombies waddle around outside. After a few minutes he still hadn't answered and I had to nudge him a little bit.

"Herobrine?" I said, pushing his shoulder lightly. Fortunately, he blinked and came back into reality.

"Hmmm?" he groaned with raised eyebrows.

"I said you have seen the King. Right?"

"Oh! Uh…" he was slow to answer again, which is very unlike him. But he did answer this time. "Yes. When he was crowned. But that was years ago. Fifty or so. You hadn't been born yet." He said with a proud and cheeky grin. He seemed to enjoy bragging about the times before I was 'born'.

I shivered and turned around to go and light the furnace. Before I was so rudely stopped.

"Wait! I have an idea." He spun me around to face him and I tensed up. Last time he did that I got a punch in the eye and fell unconscious. I still had a bruise from that. It was only last week after all "Let's go inside the castle!"

* * *

**This is an idea I had while building Liberty Gallows. Originally it was just a castle but I thought I could try and build a village.**

**Anyway, I hope you've enjoyed it and I will try to update regularly. Don't forget to review or send in ideas. Who knows? They may make it into the story.**


	2. Breaking In

The ear-splitting grin on Herobrine's face was almost terrifying. He seemed pleased with his idea and he knew it. I, on the other hand, wasn't so sure.

"You're insane." I said with shock. His eyes brightened in what I thought was anger but it appears I was wrong.

"That's not even the half of it." He clapped his hands together and grinned wickedly. "I haven't broken into a castle in years. All the treasure I could add to my collection, the armour, and the weapons!" He began to pace and was thinking out loud. "I wonder what his throne looks like… what if it's made out of pure gold, with diamond encrusted armrests and… oh… ocelot fur seats."

I sighed as he rambled on and successfully made it to the furnace. I was surprised to find a piece of raw steak in there. The furnace must have run out of coal when I last used it. I stood up and weaved past Herobrine to grab my bag. In it was a stack and a half of coal that needed to be used. So I took a handful on shoved it in the furnace, using a nearby torch to light the coal and cook the steak. As I watched the juicy meat cook I could still hear him talking behind me.

"We might need to go in through a window… or smash through the gate. But if we're going to be sneaky… I wander if there's a back entrance? If only I wasn't in the Nether when the castle was built. Ugh… that's unfortunate."

"Indeed." I chimed in, my eyes never leaving the steak. The footfalls stopped and I could feel his eyes burning through me.

"When should we go? I think tonight." He sounded very eager. I didn't answer considering my stomach was growling and I needed to eat. "Steve? I asked a question." _Oh no. he's getting impatient._

I turned to him with a mouthful of steak. After I finished chewing I told him, "When I'm done eating."

He crossed his arms and clearly rolled his eyes. "Fine." He marched over and sat on the couch heavily. Shutting his eyes in the process. "You have 15 minutes."

I nodded silently and got back to my steak. I couldn't tear my eyes away from Herobrine though. There was something special about seeing him when he's resting. He never sleeps much from what I'm told and must really enjoy it when he does. Now that I think about it, I've only ever seen him sleeping once before and that was nearly a year ago now. I was mining in a cave system a few towns over and accidently disturbed some gravel, which resulted me falling down a fair few blocks. It turns out that I landed in a camp of his and he was wrapped up in his red blanket, with a fire burning just a block to his right. For some reason, that image is burned into my memory. I think it's because I've never seen something so hostile in such a peaceful state before.

I shook my head free of the memory and took a final bite out of the steak. I stood up and was about to enter my bedroom when I realized that Herobrine had his eyes open and was staring at the chandelier. His brow was furrowed and he looked sort of… sad. I thought about leaving it, but he and I have been watching each other's backs for six months now. _ No use stopping now…_

"You okay?" I said with my hand resting on the doorknob.

"What is that light made of?" He countered with a low voice.

_He can't see it?_

"Glowstone. Why?" I tilted my head to the left curiously. I didn't really know that much about Herobrine now that I think about it.

"No reason. It looked more like a Redstone lamp to me."

I thought for a moment, I could swear Redstone lamps had a more, well, red-ish glow. So I told him that. "Redstone lamps glow red. Obviously."

He looked at me with a scowl but didn't say anything.

"That and you were sitting on it earlier so… wouldn't you have seen it then?"

His expression softened a little but his eyes brightened considerably for the third time tonight. "It's not my fault I can't tell the difference between Redstone and Glowstone. All light is the same to me. Bright and annoying. I only like fire because it's dim, and doesn't hurt to look at." He looked away and stood up in a hurry. "Now, are you ready?"

I nodded and dashed into my room for my sword and pick, before joining Herobrine out the door.

* * *

We walked in silence for a while until we reached the main gate. The air outside was cold, but the heat radiating from my companion was just enough to make it bearable. The castle was in complete darkness and there was a vast amount of mobs nearby.

"Did you think of a plan?" I asked him, shuffling a little closer for more warmth. Winter in this region was as deadly as the Nether. He nodded lightly and pointed to the flags hanging down the sides of the castle's front towers.

"There has to be windows behind those. If anything, those flags are almost see through from up close. It's a spying technique. I use it all the time." He confidently whispered. "That's where we need to go."

I stared at the flags with doubt. They were at least 10 blocks off the ground. "Again. You're insane. How are we going to get up there?"

He looked at me with shame. "Steven." He scoffed. "That is no way for a miner to think. Imagine those flags were a seven block vein of diamond ore." He encouraged before heading off with his pick materializing as he approached the stone bricks. Immediately, I felt an urge to follow. He was right after all. I would risk most things for a huge vein of diamond ore. And who knows what my good ores are being used for inside those walls. With my enthusiasm now at a peak, I followed Herobrine to the side of the castle and began to climb.

The castle's bricks were weathered and unstable but somehow, we had managed to make it up. Even for Herobrine, it was a struggle. It was strange how he was acting lately. His mood swings had gotten worse and his physical state wasn't too far behind, it seemed.

"Alright." He started, "let's get behind these and through the window." He reached up and was ready to climb onto the ledge but I stopped him.

"Are you feeling okay? You've been acting really off lately." I asked with concern. He stared blankly in my direction before blinking a couple times and shaking his head. Then he nodded seconds later.

"I'm- fine. Winter is throwing me off and… something about this castle. I don't like it. But I'm fine." He finished with more confidence.

"Okay. But if you need to stop then stop. Okay?" I instructed and began to climb onto the ledge of the window.

"I'll be better soon. I promise" he claimed as he joined me on the ledge. It was uncomfortable on such a small ledge, squashed between a woolen flag and Herobrine, who was fairly built for someone who looked so young. Not sure about what to do next I looked to Herobrine who was in charge of the whole operation. It seemed he had the whole thing under control. He was effortlessly melting the glass panes with his hands, forming a perfect size hole for us to squeeze through.

* * *

**Well, Chapter 2. I had a lot of time on my hands today. **

**Hope you enjoy. **

**Reviews and Ideas mean the world to me so don't be afraid.**

**-L**


	3. Big Rooms and Dark Corners

The inside of the tower was pitch black and Herobrine's eyes were the only source of light. They illuminated a short distance in front of us and we could clearly see that the tower was only 3 blocks wide and 3 blocks long. He looked up and the ceiling was just visible. It was a perfect spawning ground for any kind of mob. I realized that I still had a spare torch in my back pocket and reached for it, but would it be a good idea to light it?

"Should we light a torch?" I whispered. He said nothing but shook his head in reply. Swallowing, I took my hand off the torch and clutched the hilt of my sword. Herobrine was feeling around the walls for something. _A button maybe_? After some minutes, he spoke.

"This tower has nothing to hide… but there is a trapdoor." He stamped his foot against something that sounded wooden among the stone. "We should go down there. If we can find the throne room, a library, or the King's chambers, we should find the king."

I gave him a questioning look. "How would you know that?"

"King of the Nether here, Steve. How wouldn't I know?" He gestured proudly to himself, making me feel stupid.

"Right. How could I forget?"

He chuckled and opened the trapdoor, taking a leap and landing gracefully on the carpet below.

"Whoa…" I heard him whisper. Although he sounded more disappointed that surprised. I jumped down and landed next to him. The interior was Stone bricks and only a few torches were adorned them. Two grand staircases on either side of a balcony, led up to the Nether Quartz throne. Which sat in front of a huge, floor to ceiling, white glass window. Through the window, a beautiful, well-tended garden could be seen. A fountain at the back, surrounded in the finest tulips and rose bushes. Under the balcony was another staircase, this time leading down. An iron door could just be seen at the bottom, a corridor on both sides. On opposite ends of the hall were two doors that opened up to an outside balcony, overlooking the spruce forest. The carpet was a deep, royal red and made of the finest sheep's wool.

"That's a letdown." Herobrine said as he slumped in the middle of the room, staring at the throne. "I wanted it to be gold" he sighed and scanned the room looking for any sort of sign of a library or bedroom. But the inside of the castle looked extremely small. There might not even be a dining hall. Suddenly this expedition seemed a little easier, but a lot more boring.

"Well he's not in here." I said with disappointment. "What if he's not here at all?" I looked at Herobrine who was losing curiosity too.

"He probably is dead. I wouldn't be surprised. I was just in it for the treasure." He started looking at the staircase below the throne and cocked his head a little to the right. His breathing visibly slowed and he remained very still.

"Herob-"

"Shh!" he was silent again and started looking around the ceiling, like he could see something moving. "Do you here that?"

I listened for a moment but there was not really any sounds at all, minus our breathing and the breeze from outside.

"Hear what?"

He shut his eyes and stood for a moment before pointing a corner on the other end of the room.

"Over there." I scanned the area he was pointing to and listened again. But I still heard nothing. However, something moved. Something snake like, and invisible. It rippled across the roof, sending shivers down my spine.

"What was _that_?" my voice came out as more of a squeal than I wanted it to. Herobrine shook his head, unable to answer. Neither of us moved, our eyes trained on the mysterious entity. Slowly, it moved around and through to the outside balcony, like it hadn't seen us at all.

"Aether above…" Herobrine whispered quietly to himself. His breathing picked up to a normal speed and he turned to look at me. I was absolutely terrified. In all my times mining, I had never encountered an invisible mob before. Definitely no mobs that big either. "It didn't see us? Why didn't it see us?! Quick! Write that down somewhere. Steve?!"

I shook my head and snapped back into reality. "Huh?"

He made a writing gesture with his hands and moved around the room, looking for anything else dangerous. Using my pick I carved a piece of stone from the wall and etched the words:

_12 long. Snake. Invisible. Blind?_

The writing was scratchy and barely legible. My hands were shaking, but I tried to stop them by siting on the ground with my legs crossed and counting down from fifty. It was an old method I used as kid when I was afraid of mobs. It seemed to work when I was angry too.

"Okay." Herobrine called from the other end of the hall, his voice echoing off the walls. "I have no idea what that was but there aren't anymore."

"Yet." I interrupted.

"Yet." He repeated. "But it looks like down stairs is our best bet." So that's where he headed with a fireball in hand. Hesitantly, I followed. But I was safer with him around than on my own so I whipped out my sword and followed his every step.

* * *

The wooden floor creaked as we moved silently. It was darker in here and Herobrine's eyes were doing little to help. We could only see a few blocks in front of us the fire in his hand was giving a dim glow but he was smothering it so we wouldn't be noticed. We hugged the walls and faintly, could see bookcases filling the room.

"Looks like we found the library." I whispered to him. When I get no answer I realized that there wasn't even any light at all. Herobrine's eyes were either closed or he was gone along with the fire. I reached out in front of me and my hand met the air and nothing more. "Shit!"

I kept moving and knocked patterns on the stone walls hoping he would hear. There was nothing indicating he was close. Somehow, I'd lost him.

"49, 48, 47…" I began counting under my breath to calm my nerves but it wasn't working very well. "34, 33, 32…" I reached the end of the wall and found myself in a corner, so I turned to retrace my steps. Suddenly I came face to face with the one person I was looking for. His eyes glowing so brightly I had to cover mine in shock.

"WHAT THE—"his hand clamped over my mouth and he made a quiet _shh._ I moved my hand and clasped his wrist, finding that his eyes were closed. I was about to tear his arm away when something big and heavy slithered over my feet. I suppressed a squeal, and shuddered lightly at the feeling. The wood below us creaked horribly and sounded like it was going to snap. I don't know how long we were there for but it felt like hours. When the creature had passed, Herobrine slowly removed his hand and opened his eyes a peep.

"I think- I think its g-gone." He stuttered. He seemed a little cold to the touch, but lied through his teeth. "We should be fine."

I immediately took advantage of the situation and pinned him to the wall. "Where were YOU?!" I questioned quietly. "You just disappeared! Why?" I got a slow answer but it was still a lie.

"What?- I don't know what you m-mean.

"Stop lying! Where did you go?"

He slowly raised his arm and held it next to me at eye level. When he opened his eyes more I could see a dark spot covering his wrist. His skin looked like it was made out of ash. He muttered one word before his eyes shut and he fell limp in my arms.

"Bitten."

* * *

**I'm sorry if this is not the best. I had some trouble trying move it along. **

**Also. Thank you for the reviews :D**

**To answer the question for Herobrine:**

_**I'm not feeling the best. I know I've felt strange energy like this before and it has weakened me in the past. **_

**Hope you enjoy.**

**-L**


	4. The Darkness Around Us

I sat on the wooden floor with Herobrine's limp form resting on me. His head laid heavily on my shoulder and his breathing was starting to become regular again. For the past four hundred and six seconds, which I think is about seven minutes, his breathing has been shallow. His body quivering lightly every few seconds. With every moment I began to worry. If whatever is in this castle is enough to make Herobrine faint, then I'm doomed. I reached over and touched his arm. I could feel that whatever it was that had infected him was moving at a fairly steady pace. It wasn't slow and it wasn't fast but the infection was certainly about to cover his elbow.

"This is not good." I sighed to myself.

"hmmmm- mmmm." He hummed tiredly. Herobrine must have heard me. Immediately I sat up and spun around on my knees so I was looking at him face on. Slowly, his eyes opened revealing a dim, but lively glow. "St-eve?"

I smiled, silently thanking the gods. "How are you feeling?" I asked as I arranged him into a more comfortable position. He grunted and closed his eyes for a short moment.

"Better than not. But we should keep moving" he tried to stand and faltered but he managed to catch himself.

"What if you pass out again?" I offered an arm for support but he refused,

"I'll be fine. I've had worse… I think." He walked slowly towards the next room "Feels like Nether though." I heard him sigh as he straightened his posture and gestured for me to follow. "Are you coming?"

The air was stale and the inconsistent steps next to me were unsettling. I was curious. Ever since he started acting strange, I've wanted to know why. Then again… anyone would want to ask, right?

"What is it? The reason why you're weaker, I mean."

He stopped and thought about it. Maybe it's affecting his memory too?

"It's like an old, energy. I haven't felt it in years but I know that the last time I did, I was weaker. This on my arm. It looks like a wither effect. But I'm not sure. I haven't seen a Wither in a nearly a century and all the Wither skeletons don't seem to get along with me so… I banished them to the darkest corner of the Nether." He almost seemed sad in saying it. Scared too. But as he continued moving, I could tell his undying bravery wasn't tainted.

"Right-o. So all this is because of the Wither?" I asked when he passed me and took the lead.

"I don't know. But that's what it seems like." He sighed and stood up straighter. "We need to keep going."

* * *

The faint pitter of rain echoed through the castle walls and was impossible to ignore. Herobrine's steps become more in sync and his breathing sounded better. Every so often I could see him making sparks in his hands. It seemed his left hand summoned fire better than his right. In response to the failure he kept mumbling foreign curses under his breath.

Herobrine held his arm out and stopped me in my tracks. He was looking around quickly, obviously sensing something that I couldn't. Slowly a dim white glow appeared behind us and caught Herobrine's attention. The room began lighting up all around us and the sound of something slithering became more audible. We could see clearly and the sight before us was more frightening that anything I'd ever seen.

White eyes illuminated the ash grey nose of the creatures. Their heads were large and their mouths were lined with rows upon rows of vicious, snarling teeth. They had snake like bodies covered in singed scales that disintegrated with the slightest breeze, and they screeched sickeningly in threat.

Herobrine beside me was staring blankly at the largest one while it stared back. Slowly, I reached for my pick and guarded his back. Our breaths turned into clouds around us as the temperature dropped even colder than before. Herobrine's eye's brightened as he regained composure and his hands lit up with flames. His strength seemed to have returned… for now at least.

He raised his arm, ready to throw fireballs at the snakes and I held my pick up, waiting to defend the inevitable attack. With the flick of his wrist a spray of fire was sent across the room and the snakes rebelled. He punched and swung, while the snakes whipped and slithered around us. They dragged soot along the ground behind them, filling the air with a foul smell. With every foe I fought, another appeared. The onslaught was vicious and tiring. The snakes were like no mobs I'd ever seen or encountered before. The attacks slowed but grew in strength. Slowly, we fought off the snakes. The last of them retreated after they realized we weren't giving up.

After catching my breath, I realized Herobrine was hunched over and holding his arm.

"You okay?" I asked him. He glanced at me and huffed.

"You should see yourself." I looked down and saw my shirt covered in rips and tears. There was bloodstains here and there too. Suddenly I realized I had a dull ache all over.

"Hehe. I see your point." I shook the blood off of my pick and hooked it on my belt before reaching out for him. "How's your arm, I meant."

He stood up right and considered his answer. "It's not any better." He lifted it up to show me, although the only light was coming from his eyes. "But it's not worse. So that's good."

I could clearly see that the infection hadn't moved, and he seemed to be doing alright. He was certainly fighting back the infection well. I guess his immortality has to be thanked for that. I smiled and turned around. I couldn't see anything within a few blocks from where I was, and that light was flickering. I panicked, and turned to stare at Herobrine.

"Stupid soot. It's all in my eyes!" He was rubbing them roughly and blinking the water out. He took a second to look at me and kept blinking. Finally, he seemed to have fixed his problem. "That's better. I can see know." He smiled and started walking ahead. His eyes lighting the path. "Let's go find this king."

I was about to follow, then hesitated. "What about those things that attacked us? Have you seen them before?"

He hummed, trying to think. "Yes and no."

I tilted my head. Not amused with his cryptic answer.

"Yes. I've seen something like them." He grumbled. "But that was nearly two centuries ago. They were banished with all the other Withers. Aside from the loyal ones of course." He mumbled the end of sentence. "But… they weren't like this. They were small. Probably no bigger than your forearm." He lifted his arm for comparison but was immediately about his condition and how it wasn't any better. He huffed and began to walk again.

I watched as he slowly became distant. Then, I heard a loud, 'CRACK'.

Right before my eyes, Herobrine had disappeared completely.

* * *

**Hey.**

**I am really sorry about how long this took to update. I had lost a lot of motivation and couldn't think of what to write. Not to mention, I had a ton a family/friends visiting one after one and I couldn't find the time.**

**This isn't my most favourite chapter... I really would rather it be different but I have no other ideas.**

**But, I hope you all enjoy.**

**-L**


	5. Tunnels

I stared at the hole in the floor. It went down so deep I couldn't see the bottom. My heart pounded. It had been a few minutes and I hadn't hear a sound.

"Herobrine?" I called into the depths. My voice echoed on and on. I got no answer. I swallowed deeply and called again and again. There was still no answer. I gripped my hair and pulled lightly while screaming into the darkness of the room.

"We should go down there. It looks interesting from what I saw."

I jumped and turned to the source of the voice. Beside me was my white-eyed companion. Alive.

"Hero…" I tried to speak but he cut me off.

"There were lots of Redstone torches lying around. But a bit further away from the pool."

"Pool?" I whispered. Still not believing my eyes. "What pool?"

He looked at me curiously.

"The one at the bottom, Stupid. The one you land in." he chuckled as if he was stating the obvious.

I glared at him. He knew full well I couldn't see in the dark. He was only teasing me.

"Liar." I said with confidence. He scoffed and walked over to a wall, pulling a crumbling stone brick from it. He walked over and held it over the crack in the floor.

"Listen." He instructed as he dropped the brick. After a few seconds there was a faint, but satisfying _splash._ With that he raised his brow and smirked at me.

"And you thought I was lying." He joked before shoving me roughly down the hole. I fell for a couple seconds before landing in the water. To say it was freezing was an understatement. I let out a groan as the water seeped in through my jeans, and looked for the edge of the pool. Once I found it, I climbed quickly out and curled up in a ball.

Seconds later, Herobrine fell into the water, sending a large splash in my direction.

"Cold…" he mumbled painfully and waded to the edge, climbing out himself. I kept my eye on him. After that stunt he pulled, my trust had dropped significantly. For the moment anyway. A warm blast of heat and light filled the room for a minute. Herobrine had a ring of fire around him to dry his clothes. It worked surprisingly fast. Even my clothes were dryer than before.

"See the torches." He pointed behind me and I rolled over to look, still curled up to keep warm. He was right. The dim, red glow of the torches lit up a small hallway about one by two in size. I sighed and stood up.

"I wonder what's through there." I thought out loud.

"That makes two of us." Herobrine replied, walking towards the tunnel. I followed, feeling slightly safer with the old Hero in front of me. The dim light was just enough to stop any mobs from spawning, but that didn't stop me from shaking. While we walked I thought about what we were going to find when we reached the end. Was it going to be the King? Alive and well. Maybe it would be a skeleton… but He would know about that. Perhaps it was something else entirely, which was possible, considering we ran into those snakes up stairs. Whatever they were. With all the luck I had, it was going to be something deadly. That's how I first found Herobrine anyway. I remember stories about the Wither when I was a kid, but then again, I didn't believe in Herobrine either. But for a Wither to be here in the Overworld, that would mean that whoever had the ingredients to summon one was extremely lucky… or in charge?

I ran into Herobrine's back. He had stopped suddenly. Without a word I peered over his shoulder. Just ahead of us was a room. Small in height and size but it didn't lack decoration. The walls were adorned in flowers, which filled the room with a pleasant scent. _The flowers… they're fresh? _A lush, well-kept carpet covered the floor. It looked to be made of the finest wool.

The room would've been considered inviting if it weren't for the two coffins on the back wall.

"A tomb?" Herobrine bravely took a step forward, scanning the room all over.

I stayed back, my fear of ghosts getting to me. The caskets in the back didn't seem to bother him so I let him check it out.

After a few minutes, he walked over to one and unlatched it. There was a faint click and creak of old wood. Followed by a cloud of dust.

"Brine!" I yelled.

He ignored me and opened the lid just enough for him to see inside. I covered my eyes and braced for something terrifying.

"Steve… it's just a skeleton"

I glared at him, un-shielding myself "I hate skeletons."

He chuckled and closed the lid. I stepped forward and walked over to the coffins. They were made of spruce wood and lined with gold. The king was rich, that's for sure. A plaque sat above each of the coffins.

'_Mary-Ann Woodford. Beloved wife, mother and queen.' _The first one read.

"Oh dear…" I stared at the coffin. My heart filled with sorrow. Herobrine just brushed it off, like he usually does. I clapped my hands together and prayed for the deceased royal. Hoping to Notch that she was in a better place.

"If you don't like that one… you probably won't like this." He said, emotionless.

I shivered at the statement. "What does it say?"

"Jeffery Woodford. Heir."

I groaned and stepped back until I was against the wall, I wanted out of this damned castle. I should never have let him talk me into this. Who cares for a dead king? That's if he is dead…

In front of me, Herobrine seethed, but tried to hide it. I looked and saw him scratching his arm. Little black flakes of ash spiraled in the air, falling to the stone floor. He stopped and shook his arm, removing the excess ash. Then scratched it roughly again.

"You shouldn't do that." I scolded him "you'll make it worse." I didn't get an answer, for a while he kept scratching. Then he stopped and frowned at his arm. He rested a hand over it and glared over his shoulder with glowing eyes.

"Shut up Steve." He mumbled before walking into an opening I hadn't seen before. Leading further into the tunnels.

"Herobrine?" I called but he didn't stop. "W-Wait! Where are you going?" In a matter of seconds, Herobrine was gone. Again.

* * *

**Another chapter. Hope you enjoyed. **

**I don't have much to say about this one. So... yeah...**

**Thanks for reading**

**-L**


	6. Lost and Found

"Herobrine" I called down the maze of tunnels. I'd been walking around for nearly half an hour. These tunnels are much longer than you'd think. About 10 minutes ago, the Redstone torches disappeared. So I was in the dark, literally. My hand ran across bits of gravel and dirt along the wall. Every so often I could swear I heard footsteps, but I had no idea if they were His or a mobs. The deadly silence in the tunnels made it easy to hear my heart beat. Which I didn't like, considering it was beating faster than normal. I could feel Goosebumps on my arms but I didn't know if it was because I was cold or because I was scared. My clothes were still wet from that jump and my feet were numb, which made it harder to walk, let alone run.

I was about to call for Him again when I tripped over. A loud _rattle_ echoed around me and I my breathing hitched as I hit the stone floor. I reached for my pick and raised it up in defense. After some seconds, nothing happened. I stood up and sighed, mentally slapping myself for being so scared of a pile of bones. _You're a miner, you should be used to the monsters and the dark._

I continued down the tunnels, making left turns and right turns. I felt like I was walking circles. If that were possible, of course. Everyone knows circles don't exist. I stopped moving and called for Herobrine again. I received silence as a reply. Again.

My stomach growled and I rubbed it to take away the aching pain. I couldn't hold out in the dark anymore and grabbed the torch. I held it to the ground and scraped my pick along the stone, forming sparks to light the coal on top. Once it was lit I could see clearly. The floor was a stone brick and the walls were naturally streaked with gravel and dirt. Just like I thought. I noticed something on the ground. Little drops of red, accompanied by black flakes that looked familiar. Immediately thought of Herobrine. _He can't be bleeding, can he?_

I looked behind me, and my eyes followed the trail as far as the light went. It seemed I was following it without knowing. Which was lucky for the both of us. Without delay, I ran along the trail. I followed it left and right, weaving through countless tunnels. As I got deeper into the maze, I saw skeletons lying around. They appeared more and more frequently until I was surrounded by them. The trail was getting easier to follow, which was a bad sign. There was more blood than before and the black flakes of ash were growing in quantity.

"Herobrine!" I sprinted over the bones and skulls littering the corridor. Finally I found a tunnel that had a dim light at the end. It was the only thing visible from where I was standing. But it meant something. I bolted towards it, curious and scared of what I was going to find at the end.

"You're insane!"

I heard a voice scream.

"You'll ruin the world. It'll all be ash!"

It yelled again. It sounded so familiar.

"Would that matter to you, Nether King? Aren't you used to a world engulfed in flames?"

I stopped, that voice was new. But it didn't sound good. It was the kind of voice that mad your blood run cold, but you never knew why. I walked towards the voices, my steps slow and quiet.

"There are worlds built for burning. The Overworld isn't one."

"What would you know? You banished the one true king of this universe. I am here to bring him back."

"The Nether you will!"

I heard the shout followed by a loud thud. No doubt Herobrine was in that room. I edged into the doorway, pulling out my sword. Which I realized I hadn't used the whole time inside the castle. I saw Herobrine pinning an old man against the wall. They were surrounded with gold, diamonds, emeralds, anything and everything worth something. But in the middle, a Soul sand totem topped with two Wither Skulls. Unfortunately I knew exactly what that meant. I breathed in sharply and drew the attention of both men in the room. The old man had a crazed look in his eye, he looked back and forth between me and Herobrine. The latter, slowly turned to face me, his arm still around the old man's neck. Immediately I noticed a major deformity covering his body. A part of his face was missing, bone showing. His arms were the same and blood covered his clothing. His once blue shirt now a dark red. From the expression he had, he didn't want to be seen like this.

I stuttered but I couldn't get his name out. He looked back at the elder and tightened his grip, forcing him to claw at the boned arm, making Herobrine flinch and tighten his grip more. He bared his teeth threateningly at the old man who stopped, reluctantly.

"What the Nether is going on?!" I yelled.

"He wants to summon the Wither and end life as we know it." Herobrine spoke through clenched teeth. "You have no idea how much I want to kill this worthless old man."

I could see that Herobrine was forcing the urge to end the man's life down. He appeared to be struggling though. It was obvious. I stepped into the room with my sword at my side. I got a better view of the old man and Herobrine. The God wasn't in the best condition, but surely he's been through worse, right? The old man looked he too had seen better days. He was thin and frail. A frosty white beard covered his mouth and chin. Herobrine though, seemed extremely angry. His eyes glowed intensely and his jaw was clenched tightly. I could see his fingers digging into the man's throat. Red lines circled the man's neck where His fingers had slipped.

"Herobrine..." I started but was cut off by the angered God.

"You want to hear for yourself, don't you? Why can't you get your answers from that damned statue?" He removed a hand momentarily and pointed at the totem. "It has all the answers you need."

"I know what he wants to do, Brine. It's obvious. But you can't just attack an old man! He's weak."

"Ha! Weak? Sorry son, but Kings are never weak."

His words sunk in slowly. "The K-King?" I took a step forward. "You're the King?"

* * *

**Hola! Another chapter so quickly. I had an excellent idea and just wrote it out. I'm really happy with this one. **

**Thank you so much for the reviews. **

**I understand that the story is a bit short, which I have been worried about the whole time I was writing. (Thankyou BlackDragon41, and also for the encouragement. Did you guess right?) But I have a surprise for all you faithful readers in the next chapter.**

**WH1T3R4V3N I'm glad you like the idea of the two being friends. I have a different look on their relationship as opposed to others (even though they were mortal enemies in the past). I just find it easier to write about them like this rather than as enemies. Although I LOVE stories that have them oppose each other.**

**Hope you enjoyed!**

**-L**


	7. The Truth

His words sunk in slowly. "The K-King?" I took a step forward. "You're the King?"

The old man nodded with a twisted smile. "And you- you are the miner that provided me with all of this." He choked out, easier than he should have. Herobrine's vice-like grip wasn't affecting the elder much at all.

I looked around the room in shock. Sure enough, I had mined nearly everything in this room. The amount of diamonds I sacrificed to this king was irreplaceable. Part of me wanted Herobrine to kill him.

"But everyone thinks you're dead. Why would you hide from your own kingdom?"

He looked at me as if I was stupid. As if I was missing something. "Do you know nothing child? The Wither is the most powerful being in the universe. If the kingdom were to find out about my involvement in the cult, I would lose my head. Do you think I want that to happen?"

I didn't react, but my thoughts were moving a mile a minute. I glanced at Herobrine, his skin was slowly disappearing in little flakes of ash. I ignored the king and asked Him if He knew what was wrong.

"What happened to you? Why is it all coming… off…?"

Without breaking his focus on the king he answered. "After the coffins, I don't know what happened. My head hurt and my arms itched. I felt like I was being bitten." His skeletal fingers tightened around the King's throat. "I scratched and started bleeding. Before I knew it, I was like this." He looked at me, his face filled with dread. "Is it getting worse?"

I nodded slowly. I saw him swallow as he faced the king again.

"What do I do with you?" he spoke with a psychotic tone of voice. "After all it was you're fault I'm like this. Where did those… snakes come from? HOW DID YOU GET THEM HERE?!" He yelled viciously at the elder. But the King didn't flinch. There wasn't even a blink. Herobrine was losing control and it was going to get messy, fast. I wanted to calm him down but I also wanted answers. He king looked extremely amused with the anger rising in Herobrine. He seemed to want it to get worse.

"Why should I tell you, Demon? It's not as though you can stop them now. Once the true King has risen all will be right with the world. He will rule with an iron fist and I will stand by his side."

Herobrine remained silent and deep in thought. The King and He were staring at each other with venomous glares. Finally, the silence was broke.

"Not if my dragon has anything to say about."

The king was dumbfounded. His face fell into frown and he looked at the God with furrowed brows. I tried to hold back a laugh but it escaped, causing Herobrine to chuckle lightly.

"D-dragons only exist in fairytales." He stated. Earning a smirk from me and my double.

"Is that so?" Herobrine pulled the king off the wall and threw him to the ground. I put a foot on his chest ad pinned him to the ground. Strangely, I could see why Herobrine enjoyed doing this to people. "Last time I checked, I only existed in fairytales too. But we all know how that turned out." Herobrine put his arms behind his back and watched the king from above, who was looking a bit on edge.

"A dragon is no match for the Wither! Nothing ever will be!" The King announced with confidence. Regaining his composure quickly. Somewhat convinced that the dragon existed, despite the lack of evidence.

Curiously, I asked, "Don't you want Him to prove the dragon is real?" The King's eyes shifted to me and studied me for a moment.

"You two really look alike you know. Has anyone ever told you that?"

I shifted my boot to his throat and applied some pressure. "I asked a question."

The King gasped slightly before shaking his head. "There is no need, boy. I'm quite alright hearing it from a God." He sounded nervous again. Maybe the dragon could destroy the wither… if it came to that.

"But you said that the dragon wouldn't be a match for your 'King'. So why say no? It can't be very dangerous."

The King was silent and broke eye contacting, looking around the room nervously. Herobrine spoke from behind me, "You know you're pretty good at this." I turned to him, confused. "I'm just saying that you seem to be doing well at the whole… 'Violently interrogate' thing. From my point of view anyway."

"Thanks." I smiled weakly, not knowing how to respond, before focusing on the King again. When I looked back down at the old man, he had an arm outstretched to his side. I followed it and saw a sharp, diamond sword. In an instant, he swung at me and slit my cheek. I felt like I'd be stung and stumbled backwards from the shock. I placed pressure on the wound and pulled my hand away, it was dripping with blood. I heard the King grunt as he swung again. Barely missing my shoulder. I took a few steps backward and raised my own sword, which clashed with his heavily. The swords sung as I pulled back and raised to defend again. The King had strength in him. Strength that was matching mine exceptionally. From behind, Herobrine was trying to summon fire into his hands, but nothing came of it. He was creating clouds of useless smoke, which drifted up to the low ceiling. I saw him mutter something, but I couldn't hear a word of it over the swords.

The king continued his onslaught and my arms grew tired fighting against him. Herobrine still couldn't get the fire he was so used to having at his disposal. So he lunged at the king instead. He put him in a headlock and kicked the back of knees, putting him on the ground. "Take care of that totem."

Without a second thought I ran for the totem. I could hear the souls sand cry as I got nearer. I always hated soul sand. I tried to ignore the moans and squeals of the trapped spirits as I approached. But just before I reached the statue, I heard an echoing _SNAP _and a blood curdling scream. I spun around at the horrific cry. Herobrine was on the floor, his right arm in two. The bone had been broken and the King wrecked his remaining arm with little effort at all.

_SNAP_.

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**Oh no! Poor Herobrine! It looks like Steve is on his own...**

**T(his will sound mean) If you're sad. Good. If you're angry. Good. If you just want more..****. Well then. TIME FOR THE ANNOUNCEMENT.**

**There will be a SEQUEL. **

**That's right. A sequel. This story is short and I know that. But its because this story is a prologue to a bigger story I thought up months ago. So maybe I haven't written said story yet. But it will happen. I have ideas flying left right and centre with this.**

**I'm sorry to say that the Old King will be complete in... maybe a chapter or two. **

******Anyhow, I hope you all enjoyed.** Ta ta, Readers.

**-L**


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